Hundreds vie for summer jobs at Camelback

Sunday

May 4, 2014 at 12:01 AM

Hundreds of Pocono teens and adults lined up to "speed date" for a summer job Saturday at Camelback Mountain Resort, as departments prepared also to vie against each other for favored candidates in coming weeks.

JENNA EBERSOLE

Hundreds of Pocono teens and adults lined up to "speed date" for a summer job Saturday at Camelback Mountain Resort, as departments prepared also to vie against each other for favored candidates in coming weeks.

About 500 positions are open at the Camelbeach Mountain Waterpark this summer, with some employees returning from previous years or jobs during the winter season, Vice President of Human Relations Sherry Rexsaid. Applications were up this year to more than 950 in advance of the first of two job fairs Saturday.

Rex said some potential employees are men and women who have lost full-time positions and have been out of work, and the company has a range of openings. She said she hopes the additional applications are from interest in Camelback, not due to economic downturn.

But many applicants also remain teens and young adults, some interviewing for the first time for their first jobs, for positions such as lifeguarding or in food service. The wage range for the jobs is about $7-$12.

"So we have a little bit of everything for everybody," Rex said.

Some employees also continue with the resort from a young age. One full-time worker started when she was 14 with a seasonal job, Rex said. But even for others, the summer job is a good first step to gain experience, she said.

Coming through the doors, candidates sat down first with a leadership team member for what Rex called a "speed dating" interview to determine how potential employees will interact with guests and which department might be best for them.

Candidates then interviewed with whichever departments they chose. Rex said not everyone will find a position, but the departments hold a highly competitive "draft" to determine which people would fit best with the various openings, having fun with strategies to get their favorite applicants.

"We try to do a good job of finding your niche and fitting you into it," Rex said.

Applicants Emily Grunauer and Ava Lieberman, 14-year-old friends at Stroudsburg Junior High School, said they had not expected to be interviewed Saturday, but thought it went well for their first time. They interviewed for positions busing tables.

"It was nerve-wracking," Lieberman said, adding that her past job experience is in baby-sitting.

They said they spend time at Camelbeach anyway and thought it might be a good place to work, and employees get free passes.

"We always hang out here all the time," Lieberman said.

Applicant Taylor Green,an East Stroudsburg University sophomore, said she is studying criminal justice and has experience in bartending and serving. A position could also fit in some ways with her future interests.